Washington: The US State Department issued an alert warning for Americans traveling to Europe to be vigilant about possible terrorist attacks.

The advisory says Americans should be aware that terrorists often target popular tourist attractions and public transportation such as subways and rail systems.

Current information suggests that al-Qaeda and affiliated organizations continue to plan terrorist attacks, the State Department advisory said. Terrorists may elect to use a variety of means and weapons and target both official and private interests. Militants based in Pakistan are planning coordinated strikes in the UK, France and Germany, prompting the recent increase in US drone strikes in the region, Sky News reported, citing US officials it didn’t name. ABC

News, citing US and European officials, said the tipoff came from a German terror suspect held in Afghanistan who told interrogators that teams of attackers with European passports have been dispatched.

European governments have taken action to guard against a terrorist attack, the State Department statement said. The German government on 29 September said it has no indication that terrorist attacks are imminent in the country.

A day earlier, police in Paris evacuated the Eiffel Tower for the second time in two weeks after bomb threats. Searches of the city’s landmark yielded no evidence of a bomb either time.

Reports have focused on attacks similar to the 2008 ones by the Lashkar-e-Taiba guerilla group in Mumbai that left 166 people dead. In those attacks, militants armed with grenades and rifles stormed into the Taj Mahal Palace and Tower hotel and the Oberoi Trident complex, singling out foreign nationals and taking hostages in a three-day siege.